Cotton candy spinning machine



Aug. 31, 1965 J. BOWE ETAL 3,

COTTON CANDY SPINNING MACHINE I Filed June 21, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS JOHN BOWE DAVID FROHLICH 1,1965 J. BOWE Em 3,203,365

COTTON CANDY SPINNING MACHINE Filed June 21, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS JOHN BOWE BY DAVID FROHUCH WWW ATTORNEYS '39 I08: as as a as I I04 I I00 60 72 28 I 2 G 37 i v EAD g- 31, 1965 J. BOWE ETAL 3,203,365

COTTON CANDY SPINNING MACHINE Filed June 21, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 F l G. 7

i;- M'AIN' SPINNING HEATER k RC. DIS- TABLE TIMER H CONE DRIVE TIMER SE MOTORS R INVENTORS JOHN BOWE F I 8 BY DAVID FROLICH Ma ma/1w ATTOR NEYS United States Patent 3,203,365 COTTON CANDY SPINNING MACHINE John Rowe and David Frohlich, both of 29 Maple St, Salisbury, Mass. Filed June 21, 1962, Ser. No. 204,129 4 Claims. (Cl. 107-1) This invention relates to a machine which spins molten sugar into fine filaments to be gathered on paper cones which serve as handles for fluffy masses of such sugar fibers. The machine is also provided with means for automatically collecting sugar filaments on a paper cone or simultaneously on a number of paper cones.

Heretofore cotton candy spinning machines have been operated by locating the rotatable spinning head in a large cylindrical pan to limit the outward drift of filaments emitted from the spinning head. The operator has had to wave a paper cone around within the pan to collect filaments from the spinning head. The improved machine hereinafter described supports one or more cones in position to catch the filaments from the spinning head so as to build up fluffy masses of the cotton candy on the cones. For this purpose the spinning head is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis in a cabinet of suitable size and shape. One or more paper cones are slowly rotated in an upright but slightly inclined position between the spinning head and the walls of the cabinet, the upper portions of the cones being on a level with the spinning head to catch the sugar filaments that fly outward from the head. The cones are rotated about individual vertical axes but are also carried in a circular orbit around the spinning head. Other advantageous features of construction and operation will be apparent from the following description of the invention and from the drawing, of which FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of apparatus embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the same on the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view, on a larger scale, of a cone holder with a paper cone mounted therein;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the sugar container shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary elevational view, on a larger scale, of a reticulated fabric lining part of the chamber in which the spinning head is mounted;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of the rotating turntable and driving means therefor;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view of the turntable and its supporting bearings; and

FIGURE 8 is a wiring diagram of the apparatus.

The machine illustrated on the drawings comprises a housing having a front wall 10, side walls 12, 14 and a rear wall 16. Preferably but not necessarily, the side and rear walls are provided with transparent windows of large size so that the spinning of the cotton candy within the housing can be readily seen. For access to the interior of the housing, doors 22, 24 are provided in the front wall, these doors being preferably transparent. Suitable knobs 25 are on the doors. The housing has a floor 26 at a suitable level, a motor 28 in a casing being mounted on the fioor 26 at the midpoint thereof. The motor has a vertical shaft 30 which extends upward, a spinner head 32 being mounted on the upper end thereof. The spinner head 32 as shown has two perforated cylindrical walls 34, 36, one above the other, each wall having an electrical heating element 37 (FIGURE 8) pressing against its inner surface as shown and described in a copending application Serial No. 105,179, filed April 24, 1961, pursuant to which Patent No. 3,070,045 was granted on December 25, 1962. A manually operable control switch 38 (FIGURE 8) is provided for stopping the motor 28 when desired. This switch also controls the heating elements 37 so that if the current is turned off from the motor 28 which drives the spinner head 32, it is also cut Ofi from the heating coils 37. Thus the heaters cannot be on when the spinner head is not rotating. A second manually operable switch 39 is provided so that the heaters can be turned off, if desired, when the head 32 is rotating. The control knob 40 of a rheostat regulates the current through the heating elements 37. The head 32 may have a single wall with a single heater unit inside.

Sugar is fed to the spinner head 32 from a container 42 mounted on a floor 44 at the top of the housing, which floor is a ceiling for the interior of the housing. The container has a conical guide member 46 therein to support the bulk of the sugar in the container clear of the bottom thereof. The member 46 has a central aperture 48 to direct the sugar to the middle of the bottom of the container. Under the aperture 48 a rotor 50 with a pair of arms revolves slowly to sweep sugar to a hole 52 at the periphery of the bottom of the container. The sugar which passes through the hole 52 falls into a funnel 54 and down through a vertical tube 56 into the spinning head 32. The rotor 50 is driven by a small electric motor 60 having a built-in reduction gear.

At a level slightly below the bottom of the spinner head 32 a circular disk or turntable 62 is rotatively mounted, this turntable having a central aperture 64 through which the vertical shaft 30 extends. The turntable rotates on anti-friction bearings 66 supported by brackets 68 mounted on the casing of the motor 28. The turntable is rotated slowly by any suitable means such as a roller 70 which rotates on a vertical axis and is pressed against the periphery of the turntable. The roller 70 is driven by a small motor 72 with a built-in reduction gear. The motor unit is rockably supported by a bracket 74. A tension spring 76 is attached to the unit to press the roller 70 against the edge of the turntable, the other end of the spring being attached to the interior of the housing at any convenient point.

On the turntable 62 are rotatably mounted supports 80 for paper cones 82, four such supports being shown. Each said support comprises a small cylindrical block having a tapering hole 83 therethrough to receive the lower end of a paper cone so as to support it in a slightly inclined upright position. Each block is keyed to the upper end of the vertical shaft 84 of a small motor 86 secured to the under side of the turntable, the shafts 84 extending up through the turntable. To supply current to the motors 86 two slip rings 88, are mounted on the bottom face of the turntable, these rings being engaged by brushes 92, 94 on the casing of the motor 28 (FIGURE 7). The slip ring 88 is connected to one terminal of each of the motors 86, the slip ring 90 being connected to the other terminal of these motors. The brushes 92, 94 are connected to power lines illustrated in FIGURE 8.

A control panel 96 is mounted in any convenient location as shown in FIGURE 1 and supports a starting switch 98, a main timer device and an on-and-oif rtimer device 102. The latter operates a switch in the circuit of the motor 60 which drives the sugar feeding rotor 50. The wiring connections of these devices and of the several motors in the apparauts are shown in FIG- URE 8. When the starting switch 98 is closed by pressing the finger button on the panel 96, a circuit is closed through the timer device 100 which includes a motor and means (not shown) for ele'ctromagnet-icailly holding the switch 98 closed until the motor has run a predetermined interval of time at the end of which the switch 98 opens and the timer resets itself. Devices t this kind are Well known, one such being described in Patent No. 2,885,001.

The closing of the switch 98 also energizes a relay magnet 104 to close a switch 106, supplying current to the motors which drive the spinner head, the cone supports, the on-andbff timer and the sugar dispenser.

The motor 60 which drives the rotor 50 to meter sugar [from the container 42 to the spinner head is a constant speed motor whichis automatically, started and stopped by the on-and oif timer switch mechanism 102. This timer mechanism has an operational cycle of definite duration, fifteen seconds being the cycle interval of the timer used in the apparatus illustrated on the drawings. The dial on the panel 96 is manually adjustable to regulate the percent-age of the cycle interval during which the switch 102 will be .on. For example, if the dial is set at 60%, the switch will be open 9 seconds and closed 6 sec- IOndlS during each cycle of seconds. Thus the average rate of feed of sugar from the container 42 can be manually regulated.

The motor 72 which drives the turntable 62 is separately controlled by a microswitch 108 which is mounted Within the housing in a position to be closed by one of the doors of the housing, e.g., the door 22, when this door is closed. When the doors 22 and 24 are opened {for the removal or insertion of paper cones 82, the switch 108 opens and the rotation of the turntable stops. The cones then adjacent to the doors can readily be removed and replaced. A brief closing of the door 22 brings the other .cones around to the front.

When the machine is in operation, fine filaments of sugar are formed from the molten sugar which is discharged from the rapidly spinning head 32. Most of these filaments are caught at once by the paper cones 82 which not only revolve slowly about the vertical axes of the supports 80 but also progress slowly around the axis of the turn-table 62 which carries them. Some of the filaments are carried radially outward by .the current of air created by the rapidly rotating spinner head past the cones to the walls of the housing. To keep these from drifting upward and downward along the walls, the portion of the walls on a leveil with the spinner head 32 is lined with a coarse netting 110 which is preferably composed of a synthetic resin reticulated as indicated in FIGURE 5. This supports the filaments which dritt against it. The fine filaments of sugar which are spun from the head which rotates at high speed and are not caught by the paper cones, drift to the netting 1-10 to which they lightly adhere in a cl-oudlike accumulation which is readily collected from the netting by passing a paper cone along the netting. One of the filled cones on the turntable maybe picked up and used for this purpose.

We claim:

1. In combination with a cotton candy spinning machine comprising a base, a vertical sh-ait rotatably mounted on said base, a spinning head mounted on the upper end of said shaft, and a motor o-peratively connected to said shatt; a horizontal disk mounted coaxial with said shaft .and at a lower level than said head, means for rotating said disk, a circular series of holders for individual paper cones mounted on said disk equally distant from said shaft, means for rotating said holders about their own axes, and walls extending upward (from said base to surround said disk and spinning head.

2. Apparatus as described in claim 1, each said holder including means to support a paper cone in a position slightly inclined from the vertical.

3. A cotton candy spinning machine comprising a housing with a door on one side thereof, a spinner head and means for driving the same in said housing, a horizontal turntable in said housing below the level of said spinner head, an electric motor for rotating said turntable, a control switch in series with said motor, said switch being mounted within said housing in position to be engaged by said door to close the switch when the door is shut, and to be released to open position when said door is opened, and means on said turntable for supporting paper cones to receive sugar filaments from said spinner head.

4. A cotton candy spinning machine comprising a housing having walls, a spinner head mounted for rotation about a vertical axis .within said housing, mean-s for driving said spinner head, a plurality of cone holders arranged around said spinner head below the level thereof, means for rotating said cone holders, and a screen of netting lining the portion of said Walls opposite and on a level with said spinner head.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 788,842 5/05 McFann 107-8 844,939 2/07 Hotfman 107 8 1,510,940 10/24 Hu-th.

2,105,059 1/3'8 Steps 210138 2,601,534 6/52 Latoon 222410 X 2,629,969 3/53 Peyches 9 2,808,343 10/57 Simmons 118626 2,822,092 2/58 Masson 210-l38 FOREIGN PATENTS 915,976 8/54 Germany.

ROBERT E. PULFR EY, Primary Examiner. J. D. BEIN, CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Examiners. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A COTTON CANDY SPINNING MACHINE COMPRISING A BASE, A VERTICAL SHAFT ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID BASE, A SPINNING HEAD MOUNTED ON THE UPPER END OF SAID SHAFT, AND A MOTOR OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT; AN HORIZONTAL DISK MOUNTED COAXIAL WITH SAID SHAFT AND AT A LOWER LEVEL THAN SAID HEAD, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID DISK, A CIRCULAR SERIES OF HOLDERS FOR INDIVIDUAL PAPER CONES MOUNTED ON SAID DISK EQUALLY 